Facing each other for the third and final time this season, the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes clash at Gila River Arena in a Western Conference matchup. The puck drops at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31, and you’ll be able to witness the game live on Fox Arizona Plus.
St. Louis Blues at Arizona Coyotes Odds
St. Louis (-140) is currently favored over Arizona (+120), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-130 for the under, +110 for the over).
St. Louis is 43-33 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 3.3 units this year. Through 76 regular season outings, 46 of its games have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2017-18 Blues team is 19-18 SU on the road.
St. Louis has converted on just 15.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 15th out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of its penalties.
The Blue Notes, as a collective unit, have been sent to the penalty box just 3.4 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 2.0 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 4.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 24.8 saves per game with a .907 save percentage, Jake Allen (27-28-3) has been the best option in goal for St. Louis this season. Allen played last night, however, so the team could opt to rest him and roll with Carter Hutton instead (17-13-3 record, .934 save percentage, 2.02 goals against average).
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Blues. Schenn has 65 points via 26 goals and 39 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 14 different games. Tarasenko has 31 goals and 32 assists to his credit, and has logged at least one point in 41 games.
Arizona is 27-51 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 78 regular season matches, 41 of its games have gone under the total, while 36 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the teams 15-24 SU as the home team.
The Coyotes have converted on just 16.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Arizona players have been sent to the penalty box only 3.4 times per game in total this season, and 4.0 per game over their past ten games. The teams had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Antti Raanta (27.1 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Coyotes. Raanta has 20 wins, 24 losses, and six overtime losses and has recorded a .927 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average this year.
The home team offense will be led by Clayton Keller (23 goals, 39 assists).
St. Louis Blues at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- A majority (55.8 percent) of St. Louis wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 24-21 overall in games decided by at least two scores. 11 of Arizona’s wins (40.7 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- St. Louis is scoring 3.3 goals per game over the teams six-game winning streak.
- Extra-man opportunities may have a key role tonight. The Blues are 18-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 33-21 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Coyotes are 11-21 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-36 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Arizona is 2-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 3-0 in shootouts.
- St. Louis might hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The teams an impressive 19-12 in one-goal games, while Arizona is 16-21 in such games.
- The total has gone over in three of Arizona’s last five games.
- Arizona skaters have averaged 8.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 7.3 giveaways per game (ranked 6th in the NHL).
- St. Louis skaters have averaged 6.4 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 6.0 giveaways per game (ranked first in the league).
- This game features a couple of the more physical defenses in the league. St. Louis skaters have given out the 10th-most hits in the league (22.8 per game) while the Coyotes have handed the fourth-most (24.5).
